


I like you the way you are

by broken_fannibal



Category: Broadchurch, Good Omens Extended Universe, Masters of Sex
Genre: Asexual Alec Hardy, Biromantic Alec Hardy, Crossover Pairings, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Insecurity, Light Angst, M/M, body image issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:07:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25734046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/broken_fannibal/pseuds/broken_fannibal
Summary: Bill is insecure about his body, Alec makes him feel understood and a little more comfortable.
Relationships: Alec Hardy/William Masters
Comments: 23
Kudos: 36





	I like you the way you are

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this fic cause I thought about how in a lot of fics when a character is insecure about their looks and gets told they're hot by their love interest it magically fixes everything and it feels weird.  
> So I wanted to play out a different approach to this? from the asexual perspective basically.

Bill came out of the bathroom wearing only his boxer shorts. He sometimes did on weekends when Alec had had a late-shift on Friday. He always slept in then.

Only this time, he was up already.

He froze when Alec looked over at him from where he sat in bed. On instinct, Bill pulled the towel he had dried his hair with from his shoulders and covered his body with it. He stared at the floor, his heart was racing.

“Bill?” Alec’s voice was quiet.

He swallowed hard and risked a glance up.

Alec looked worried. He hadn't moved, he still sat in the same spot.

He quickly went to the closet and grabbed the first set of his clothes he could find. Then he hurried back to the bathroom.

When he came back out, Alec looked even more worried. “What was that about?” he asked carefully.

Bill shook his head. “Didn't think you’d be awake already,” he mumbled.

Alec frowned. Then he understood what Bill meant. “You don't want me to see you naked?”

Bill hesitated. He couldn't quite interpret Alec’s tone of voice. Hesitatingly, he nodded.

“Why not?” Alec cocked his head.

He didn't sound hurt. Or angry. It still didn't help calm him much. He wished Alec would drop it.

“You’ve seen  _ me  _ naked,” Alec said slowly.

“That’s different,” he said immediately. “You’re...” he vaguely gestured over Alec’s body. “You’re... you.”

Alec still looked at him, waiting, hoping for an answer, an explanation.

With his heart hammering against his ribcage, Bill said: “I’m not much. I’m not... desirable in that way.” Quieter, he added: “Or in any way really.”

Alec’s eyes widened. “Oh...” he said softly. He shuffled forward on the bed and put his book aside. “I want to tell you that you are. That you’re hot or sexy, that you’re desirable that way.” He hesitated. “But you know I’m ace. So I can't, not really, not without lying.” He pushed the blanket aside and sat down on the edge of the bed. Then he reached out and took Bill’s hands in his own, he pulled him a little closer. “But I can tell you you’re beautiful. Because you are. Or handsome, good-looking. Whichever word you prefer.”

Bill took a shaking breath. The gentle, loving expression on Alec’s face, the tender tone of his voice made him feel a little calmer. Slowly, he nodded.

“I like you the way you are.”

He felt his throat grow tight.

When Bill didn’t say anything, Alec continued: “I have flaws too, things I don't like about my body.”

Now he frowned. “What's not to like?”

Alec laughed quietly. “See? You don't even notice them. You don't see me the way I do. And the other way around, I don't see you the way you do. I don't see the flaws you think you have. If they even exist at all.”

Bill’s eyebrows drew together. “Could you... Could you tell me the things you don't like about your body?”

Alec nodded. He felt nervous about laying himself bare like this. But if it was important to Bill, if it might even help him... then he would. Slowly, he began: “I think my mouth looks weird.” He paused and looked at Bill. “I’m way too skinny, can’t put on weight, especially not with all the stress, you can almost count my ribs. Same with muscles, I’ve always been lanky. You should have seen me as a teen, I was all skin and bones.”

“Huh...” Bill looked at him, at his body for a while. “I really don't see it that way, I don’t see any of that as a flaw.”

Alec smiled. It made him feel a little better. It wasn't like he was insecure about his body, not anymore. For the most part, he was okay with it. But there were still things he would change if he could.

After a short moment of silence, he gently asked: “Can you tell me what you don't like about the way you look?”

Slowly, Bill nodded. He scraped together what little courage he could find. “I’m chubby. My belly is soft and big, my thighs too. And my chest. And my arms.” He could feel his heart hammering against his ribcage. He couldn't look at Alec anymore. He fixed his eyes on their joined hands instead. “My shoulders aren't broad at all. I barely have any body hair. I’m starting to go grey too.” He took a deep breath. “When I look at myself, I don't see much of a man.”

“Barely anyone meets the high standards society sets.”

Bill couldn’t suppress the shiver that ran through him. “So you agree?”

“What?” Alec frowned. 

Bill swallowed and tried to keep his voice from shaking. “You agree that I’m not much of a man?” He couldn't fight the stone-cold discomfort that had settled in his gut.

Alec’s eyes widened. “No! I never- no.” He shook his head. “I was trying to... well, maybe not change your perception of yourself, that's a bit much. But I was trying to make you see that looking the way you do, doesn't make you less of a man, or ugly or undesirable.” He paused. Did he lack a fundamental understanding of the way Bill felt?

He took a deep breath. “Listen to me until the end, okay?”

Bill nodded, a little confused. “Okay.”

“It's true that your shoulders aren't that broad and that you don't exactly have a slender built and that your hair is going grey and that you don't have a lot of body hair. _ But that's not bad. _ ” He paused to give his words more weight. “I don't mind your grey hair. I like the way it glints in the sun. I like that you’re a little chubby, it means you’re soft. When you hug me, it feels so good _ because  _ you’re soft. I like you the way you are and I don't see any part of you as a flaw.” He squeezed Bill’s hands in his own.

Bill shuddered, he could feel tears prickling in his eyes. He still couldn't help thinking of himself the way he did. But knowing that Alec liked him the way he was, helped a little. And maybe... maybe if Alec kept telling him these things... maybe then he could come to see himself that way too. Eventually. “Thanks.” His voice was a little rough.

Alec gently pulled him closer, so close that he was standing right between his knees. Then he leaned in, slid one hand to Bill’s back and pressed a kiss to his sternum through his shirt. Then he tilted his head back and smiled up at him, his chin resting against Bill’s chest.

Bill’s expression softened. He slid his free hand into Alec’s hair. He gathered his courage and asked: “Can you- could you... keep telling me things you like about me? From time to time?”

Alec nodded and smiled. “ ‘course.” Maybe this meant he had succeeded a little. He hoped he had.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving kudos/comments! <3


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